This invention relates to enclosures for telephone cables.
In a typical aerial terminal, the cable passes through a cable housing, wires from the cable are removed from the sheath within the housing, and these wires are electrically connected to terminal blocks in an adjacent enclosure. Drop wires are coupled to these terminal blocks and extend out of the terminal block enclosure to the customer premises. One of the primary considerations in designing the terminals is to keep out moisture or other contaminants from the environment which can adversely affect the connections. For example, in order to prevent moisture penetration through the openings where drop wires exit or enter the terminal, grommets are usually provided around the openings (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,696 issued to Gressitt et al). While generally acceptable, such grommets can become distorted over time thereby reducing the effectiveness of the seal.
A further consideration in designing an aerial terminal is to provide some flexibility in the customer's choice of features. For example, present terminals usually provide a molded part including a particular type of terminal block in the enclosure (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,696 issued to Gressitt et al). However, customers may desire to utilize different types of terminal blocks without changing the basic design. Further, a customer may desire to utilize a foam seal at the ends of the cable housing, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,499 issued to Faust, or other types of end configurations, again, without altering the basic design of the aerial terminal.
A door is typically provided to the terminal block enclosure to permit a craftperson to make appropriate connections to the terminals. This door should be moisture proof when closed to prevent degradation to the connections. Also, the door should remain open while work is being done for the convenience of the craftsperson.